Electrical connector



April 2, 1968 D. M. LOCKE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Aug. 5, 1966 Figure 2 INVENTOR. Donald M. Locke United States Patent 3,376,544 ELECTRECAL CONNECTOR Donald M. Locke, White Rock, N. Mex., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commission Filed Aug. 5, 1966, Ser. No. 571,155 3 Claims. (Cl. 339149) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention is a miniature electrical cable connector consisting of a male member imbedded in plastic and engaging a female member composed of two parallel wires mounted in a circular metal ring which is also imbedded in plastic.

The invention described herein was made in the course of, or under, Contract W-7405ENG36 with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

The invention is concerned with an electrical connector and more particularly with an electrical connector which can be used in a restricted or limited space and which has a high degree of reliability.

The electrical connector of this invention has many potential uses, one of the most important being a cable connector in conjunction with a high explosive detonator. Thus, While this invention can be adapted for general use, it is primarily intended for use in situations requiring an exceedingly small device and one in which it is most important that the connection be reliable and easily made. To this end the invention comprises two parts, one of which is a plastic disc in which is imbedded the male lead, and the second part being the female lead consisting of a brass ring which holds two parallel wires, said ring being also imbedded in a plastic disc.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an electrical connector that is simple in design and has proven to be an easy and effective device in joining or completing an electrical circuit.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred form of the invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partial isometric drawing of the female section of the connector showing in dotted section a brass ring through which the male lead is guided;

FIGURE 2 is a partial isometric drawing of the male and female sections of the connector but does not show the plastic disc in which the female brass ring is imbedded. In the drawings we have shown a preferred embodiment of the invention which is there shown in a considerably larger size than the small size which this invention renders perfectly practicable.

FIGURE 1 shows the brass ring 1 of the female lead and a guide plate 23 with hole through which the male lead is positioned so as to make an effective and easy contact with the female leads.

FIGURE 2 shows the male lead 22 imbedded in a plastic disc 21, dotted line 23 indicating the guide plate and hole as shown in FIGURE 1, the female wire leads 24 3,376,544 Patented Apr. 2, 1968 which are spaced such that the distance between said leads is of the order of several thousandths of an inch less than the diameter of the male lead 22. The female leads are held in position by brass ring 25 which is imbedded in a plastic disc the same as shown for the male lead disc 21.

Connection between the male and female leads is caused by placing the male lead 22 through guide plate 23 with hole, said male lead being of sufificient length so as to pass through the female wire leads 24 and said male lead being of a diameter that is somewhat larger than the distance between said female leads 24. The guide hole 23 of necessity must be of a greater diameter than the male lead 22; however, its dimensions are not critical. The distance between the female leads 24 in relation to the diameter of the male lead 22 is critical for the reason that the female leads must firmly grip the male lead but must not be inelastically deformed so that on repeated disconnections and connections the female lead will continue to firmly grip or contact the male lead. The inventor has discovered that the critical dimensions are of the order of a few thousandths of an inch difference, said distances between female leads 24 being approximately 0.003-inch smaller than the diameter of the male lead.

The materials making up the electrical connector consist of any plastic disc that has high nonconducting properties while the wire leads may consist of any good conducting metals such as aluminum, brass, copper, gold, silver, or alloys of said metals. Likewise, the brass ring which forms part of the structural support must be made of conducting metal and preferably the same metal of which the female and male leads are composed.

The dimensions of the entire electrical connector device including the plastic discs in which the female and male leads are imbedded is of the order of 0.25-inch diameter with a cross sectional width of 0.25 inch.

Although the invention has been described in only one form, there is to be understood that other forms can be devised, all falling within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical cable connector which consists of a male lead wire imbedded in a plastic disc and a female receptacle that consists of a brass ring which contains a pair of parallel wires that are spaced so as to firmly grip or connect the male lead wire, said ring being imbedded in a second plastic disc.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the distance between the parallel wires is of the order of a few thousandths of an inch less than the diameter of the male lead wire.

3. The device of claim 1 in which the external dimensions are approximately 0.25 inch by 0.25 inch.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1961 Wootton 339-256 X 7/1961 Hawk 339--213 

